Door operating mechanism



Jan. 17, 1956 B. G. FREEMAN 2,731,260

DooR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 25, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 17,1956 B. G. FREEMAN 2,731,250

DooR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed sept. 2s, 1952 2 sheets-sheet 2 Flei.

69 mvENToR 66 E 69 BERYL G. FREEMAN 46mg mm +Mw ATTORNEY United StatesPatent DOR OPERATlNG MECHANlSll/I Beryl G. Freeman, Kilgore, Tex.

Application September 23, 1952, Serial No. 311,665

1 Claim. (Cl. 268-63) This invention relates to door operatingmechanism, and more particularly to improved electrically driven dooroperating mechanism, the primary object of the invention being toprovide a simpler, more reliable, and more efficient mechanism of thiskind by means of which swinging doors can be both opened and closed andare held securely in open and closed position.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention willbe apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawingswherein, merely for purposes of illustration, a specific form of theinvention is set forth in detail.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary horizontal section showing in top plan amechanism in accordance with the present invention associated with agarage having two swinging doors, the doors being shown in closedposition in full lines and in open position in dotted lines;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal section taken on theline 2--2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the mechanism per se;

Figure 4 is a further enlarged fragmentary vertical longitudinalsectional detail of the traveler or nut assembly and associated parts;

Figure 5 is a transverse vertical section taken on the lines 5-5 ofFigure 4;

Figure 6 is a side elevation of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a side elevation of the reversing switch;

Figure 8 is an enlarged end elevation of said switch; and

Figure 9 is a wiring diagram showing the switch including the reversingswitch, and the starter switches.

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like numerals designatelike parts throughout the several views, the numeral 14 generallydesignates a building, such as a home garage having opposite sidewalls15, 15 including door posts 16, 16 on which paired swinging doors 17, 17are hinged, as indicated at 1S. The sidewalls 15, 15 also have joists19, 19 spaced rearwardly or longitudinally inwardly from the door posts16, which have forwardly or longitudinally outwardly projecting rests orhooks 2i), 20 for a purpose hereinafter explained.

Fixed on the rearward or inner sides of the doors 17, and spaced atsuitable distances from the axes of the hinges 1S, are brackets 21, 21having upwardly projecting pivot bolts 22, 22 on which are removablyconnected the forward or outer ends of operating arms 23, 23 which arepreferably in the form of rigid pipes, which decline somewhat in adirection toward the doors 17, 17, and converge in a direction away fromthe doors 17, 17. When it is not desired to operate the doors 17 bymeans of the mechanism as hereinafter described, the forward ends of thearms 23, 23 can be removed from the brackets 21, 21 by loosening thebolts 22, 22 and resting the forward ends of the arms 23, 23 on therests or hooks 20, 20, as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1.

Forward and rearward cross members 25 and 26, re-

spectively, extend horizontally across the interior of the garage 14 andare secured to the sidewalls 15, 15 on a level above the tops of thedoors 23, 23. A horizontal frame 27 has longitudinal laterally spacedmembers 28, 28 extending between and resting upon and preferably securedto the cross members 25 and 26, and a platform 29 extends between and issecured to the members 28, 28 at a point intermediate their ends. Alongitudinal U- shaped sub-frame 30 depends from the main frame 27 andhas forward and rearward vertical end members 31 and 32, respectively,between which extends a guide rod 33. A bracket 34 depends from the mainframe 27 just rearwardly of the forward vertical end member 31, in whichis journalled the reduced forward end 35 of a threaded shaft or screw36, whose other or rearward end is journalled in a bearing 37 extendingthrough the rear vertical end member 32, as shown in Figure 4, and has abelt pulley 3S fixed thereon. Spacedly circumposed on the screw 36 ateach end thereof and secured to the facing side of the Vertical endmembers 31 and 32 are helical springs 39 and 4i), respectively, thesprings being secured to the vertical end members.

A traveler or nut assembly, generally designated 42, comprises avertically elongated hollow housing involving a cylindrical head 43circumposed on the screw 36 and a vertically elongated cylindrical guideportion 44, com-V posed of sections secured separably together by means;of flanges 45 and bolts 46 traversing the flanges. The guide portion 44is formed in its sidewalls with openingsv 47, 47 preferably looselyreceiving the guide rod 33 whereby the traveler or nut assembly isprevented from rotating with or around the screw 36. The springs 39 and4t) serve as cushion bumpers to be engaged by the head 43 whereby thetravel of the assembly 42 is halted without shock at the end of itstravels in opposite direc tions.

Secured within the head 43 is a tubular nut 49 threaded on the screw 36and having thereon a ring of squared xed ratchet teeth 5@ exposed in theupper end of the guide portion 44. A ratchet pin or dog 51 is slidablydisposed in a vertical guide tube 52 secured in the upper part of theguide portion 44, and a helical spring 53 is compressed between thelower end of the pin 51 and an abutment 54 whereby the ratchet dog orpin 51 is yieldably urged in an upward direction. The upper end of thedog 51 is bevelled on two opposite sides, as indicated at 51 in Figure5, so that the nut ratchet teeth 59 can ratchet past the dog 51 ineither direction of rotation, when the traveler or nut assembly 42reaches the end of its travel in either direction and is stopped thereatby engagement with the related one of the bumper springs 39, 43.

On the traveler assembly head 43 is fixed an L-shaped transverselyextending bracket S5 which has horizontal ange portions 56, 56 atopposite sides of the head 43 having depending pivot bolts 57, 57 onwhich are pivoted and secured the inner or rearward ends of the arms 23.

An electric motor 53 having a pulley 69 in vertical alignment with thescrew shaft pulley 38 is mounted upon the main frame 27', and a belt 61is trained around the pulleys.

Fixed on and extending horizontally from one side of the lower end ofthe guide portion 44 of the traveler assembly 42 is a rigid arm 62having an upstanding inverted I -shaped bracket on its outer end, havingthe horizontal member 63. Two connector sleeves 64 and 65, respectively,are journalled on the horizontal member 63. To the sleeve 64 is securedone end of an elastic member, such as a stretchable helical spring 66,and to the other sleeve 65 one end of a flexible non-stretchable member,such as a chain 67, is connected, the chain 67 being longer than thespring 66. The other ends of the spring 66, and chain 67 are connected,as by a ring 68, to the lower 3 end. of. a. depending. switch` handle69. of a reversing switch 70. Y

The reversing switch 70 is of a double-throw, triplepole type and'comprises: an insulated base `7m'ount'ed" upon the platform atthesameside of the mechanism as the traveler assembly.v arm 62, so 'that thespring 66 andA chain 67 extend preferably parallel.' to the aXis of thescrew 36. Vertically traversing the base 71 there are binding postscrews-72, 73'and 74 arranged along one side ofthe base 71, binding postscrews 75, 76 and 77 arranged along the other side of the base 7i, andbinding post screws 78, 79 and 8@ arranged along the middle of the base71. The switch handle 69 is xed to the cross member 81 of the switchblade assembly which comprises the three switch blades 32, 93V and 84'which arepivoted on the middle binding posts 78, 79 and EEO,respectively, andare swingable to engage or to disengage fromeither thebinding posts 72, 73 and 74. or the binding/posts 78, 79 and 80. Theouter rows of binding post screws have contacts for engagement by theswitch blades which are in the form of spring forks or clevicesinvolving fingers 85, SS tensioned toward each other, both the contactsand the switch blades having mating depressions and projections 86 andS7, respectively, which engage to provide for considerable resistance towithdrawal of the switch blades from the contacts.

As shown in Figure 9 of the drawings, a terminal 89 of the reversibleelectric motor 59 is connected to the switch binding post 73 and to thebinding post 75 thereof. The motor terminal 9i) is connected to thebinding posts 72 and 76. The motor terminal 91 is connected to theswitch binding post 78 and also to a line 93 leading to one side of aconnecter plug 94 adapted to be plugged into a power outlet socket (notshown). The motor terminal 92 is connected to the switch binding post 80and'to the binding post 79. The other side of the circuit is completedby a line 95 leading from the binding post 74 to the remaining side ofthe plug 90 and to the binding post 77. The line 93 has a loop includingthe two sides 96 and 97. Starting switches 98 and 99 are connectedbetween the sides 96 and 97, the switch 9S having a shunt 150 connectedacross the sides 96 and 97. The switch 98 is preferably arranged on theoutside of the garage 14 and the switch 99 in the inside of the garage14.

In operation, one of the switches 98, 99 having been closed, the motor59 starts and rotates the screw 36 so as to move the traveler assembly42 in a corresponding direction, thereby either opening or closing thedoors 17, 17. As the traveler assembly moves toward one end of thesub-frame 30 the spring 66 begins to be stretched and tensioned andfurther movement of the traveler assemf bly in the same directiontightens the chain 67 and the pull of the chain 67 vdislodges theprojections 87 on the switch blades 82, 83 and S4 from the depressions86 in the related switch contacts. The projections and depressions beingdisengaged, the stretched spring 66 immediately acts to pull the switchblade assembly over to the reverse position.

The momentum of the' traveler' assembly 42 carries it along the screw 36beyond the switch over point,'and, since the motor 59 will not reverseuntil completely stopped, the assembly 42 engages the related one of thebumper springs 39, and is thereby brought quietly to a stop, the doorsE17, 17 then'being` in and being retained in either closed or openposition. When the traveler assembly housing fifi is stopped by one ofthe bumper springs 39, 49, the ratchet'nut 5%, prevented from furtherendwise travel by the housing 44, overcomes the tension of ratchetspring 53, whereby the ratchet dog is displaced and the nut therebyfreed to rotate with the shaft 36 until the motor 59 is stopped byopening one of the starting switches 9S, 99. li then the proper one ofthe starting switches 93, 9.9v be closed, the motor 59 willV start andoperate in a reverse direction. While thisv is taking place the tensionof spring 53 holds ratchet dog 5l in stop engagement with the nut 5h andprevents the nut 5t) fromy turning in the housing 44, so that thetraveler assembly is caused to travel in the opposite direction.

What is claimed is:

n mechanism for openingand closing a door, a fixed support, a screwshaft mounted for axial rotation on the support, a travelerassemblymounted on the screw shaft, said assembly comprising a housingincluding a lateral guide portion, a nut rotatably confined in saidhousing and threaded on the screw shaft, an operating arm connected atone end to, said housing and having another end connectible to a door tobe opened and closed, said nut having circumferential teeth, a springpressed two-way ratchet dog on said housing guide portion engaging theratchet teeth and yieldably holding said nut against rotation relativeto said housing, and a guide rod xed on said support and engaging saidhousing guide portion, bumper springs on said support at the oppositeends of said screw shaft, said bumper springs being arranged to beengaged by said housing as said housing arrives at opposite ends of thescrew shaft and gradually compressed whereby further travel of tiehousing along Vthe screw shaft in the same direction is graduallyarresteduntil the ratchet dog is released from teeth on the nut wherebythe nut is temporarily free to rotate relative to the housing.

References Cited'in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,332,823 French Mar. 2, 1920 1,611,561 Robinson Dec. 21 1926 1,700,848Martin Feb. 5, 1929 1,324,679 MorrisV Sept. 22, 1931 2,253,170 DunhamAug. 19, 1941 2,531,109 Chapman Nov. 2l, 1950 2,602,664 Matchett uly 8,'1952

